GLP-1s and Personal Training
GLP-1 medications such as Wegovy, Ozempic, Mounjaro, Saxenda and Victoza can be a valuable tool for weight management, but there is an important difference between losing weight and improving your health.
One of the biggest mistakes is treating GLP-1 medication as a licence for a crash diet: eating as little as possible, chasing rapid weight loss and celebrating the number on the scales. The faster the weight comes off, the better it can seem — but rapid weight loss isn't necessarily the best outcome.
When appetite is significantly reduced, it can become surprisingly easy to under-eat protein, calories and essential nutrients. This can contribute to loss of lean muscle alongside fat, reduced strength and, particularly in older adults, concerns around maintaining bone health. Extreme energy restriction can also make gastrointestinal side effects such as nausea harder to manage.
This is where a Personal Trainer can make a real difference
A good PT isn't there to help you burn more calories. During GLP-1 treatment, the focus should be on protecting the body you're left with.
Progressive resistance training gives your muscles a reason to stay — and potentially become stronger — while you lose body fat. It can also support bone and functional health, which becomes increasingly important as we get older. Current UK dietetic guidance specifically highlights resistance exercise alongside adequate protein as important for reducing muscle and lean-tissue losses during weight loss.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to see progress. But if losing weight quickly means sacrificing muscle, strength, nutrition or quality of life, it's worth asking whether you're really getting healthier.
The Long-Term Question: What Happens When You Stop?
The second big question around GLP-1 medication is perhaps the most important one: what happens when you stop taking it?
It is tempting to think of a GLP-1 as a short-term solution — take it, lose the weight, reach your target and then go back to normal. Unfortunately, the evidence suggests it isn't quite that simple. In the STEP 1 extension, people who stopped semaglutide regained around two-thirds of the weight they had previously lost over the following year. More recent guidance also recognises that weight regain is common after stopping treatment.
That doesn't mean GLP-1 medication has failed. It means we need to use the time on the medication wisely.
Use the opportunity to build habits
One of the biggest benefits of having your appetite and "food noise" reduced can be the opportunity to make better decisions without feeling like you're constantly fighting your brain.
Instead of simply eating less, this can be a chance to learn how to eat better.
This is where we can help. Rather than encouraging the lowest possible calorie intake, we can help you establish realistic targets around food quality, meal structure and, particularly, protein intake. We can monitor what you're eating and make sure that reduced appetite isn't inadvertently turning into under-fuelling.
The aim is to create habits that don't disappear when the medication does.
Don't make the medication the whole plan
There's an important distinction between using a GLP-1 to help you change your habits and using it to avoid changing them altogether.
The medication can provide a window where hunger is more manageable and food feels less dominant. That's a huge opportunity. Use that period to experiment with better-quality foods, learn what a satisfying high-protein meal looks like, build a consistent strength-training routine and develop behaviours that feel sustainable.
A GLP-1 may help create the opportunity. Nutrition, strength training and good habits are what can help you make the opportunity last.
